Our science curriculum focuses primarily on providing children with the opportunity to work scientifically through the means of fun, practical experiences in and outside of the classroom. Our delivery of science within Littlemoor, develops a sense of excitement and curiosity, with children being encouraged to understand how science can be used to explain what is occurring, predict how things will behave, and analyse causes.

We aim for children to have a strong understanding of the world around them. Our children are encouraged to ask questions and apply their scientific skills and knowledge to investigate and find answers.

In KS1, Science lessons are carefully planned into each medium- term plan, linking where possible to the theme of learning or as standalone lessons. The Science units are blocked throughout the year, usually spanning a period of two weeks.

There is an expectation that there will be three lessons each week. The first week should focus on science ‘knowledge’ with the second focusing on ‘working scientifically’.

We have identified the key knowledge and skills pupils need to acquire and remember.

Each unit of work is supported by a knowledge mat which focuses on vocabulary and includes the key knowledge and skills pupils are aiming to acquire.

Teachers understand the importance of pupils being asked what they already know and are given opportunities to reflect on their learning. There is an expectation that teachers will organise retrieval lessons to help support pupils’ long-term memory.

Sequence of Learning

In order to ensure that knowledge is well sequenced, our learning journey starts with a clear understanding of key vocabulary, followed by the acquisition of knowledge related to the focus topic. The children are then given practical and purposeful opportunities to apply, explore and test out this new learning through experiments and investigations. As part of this process they will learn how to conduct a fair test, gather and evaluate findings, and draw conclusions.